The exceptional beauty of the Orcia Valley is characterized by gentle hills covered by dense vegetation of vineyards, olive groves, cypress, beech and chestnut trees, interspersed with ancient villages of medieval origin, rural houses and fortresses with inaccessible towers. Nestled in a unique tranquility, the romantic area is exceptional protagonist of the famous paintings of the masters of the Sienese school. The depictions of landscapes, portraying people in harmony with nature, that became the icons of the Renaissance. From an environmental point of view has five million years of geological history, including lava deposits of extinct volcanoes of Radicofani and Amiata, have profoundly marked the territory, rich in plant and animal species. The Val d’Orcia has tied its destiny to the Via Cassia, which, for most of its course, follows the historic Via Francigena, where the sense of the journey has the spirit of the pilgrimage. Scattered throughout the valley there are common as Castiglione d’Orcia, Montalcino, Pienza, Radicofani and San Quirico d’Orcia, which are part of the Orcia Valley and offer a plunge into a fascinating past and rich in character. Without neglecting the gastronomic importance of these areas, now famous around the world for outstanding products like the pecorino cheese of Pienza, the honey of the Orcia Valley, the extra-virgin olive oil of Castiglione d’Orcia, the cold cuts of Cinta Senese, until reaching the king of the table, as well as mushrooms and truffles: the Brunello of Montalcino.